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Mount Desert Island |
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Mount Desert Island (dĭzûrt`), c.100 sq mi (260 sq km), largest island off the coast of Maine; separated from the mainland by Frenchman Bay, Mt. Desert Narrows, and Western Bay. The island's rugged topography is a result of glacial action. It is almost equally divided into east and west halves by Somes Sound. A chain of rounded granite peaks dominates the island, culminating in Cadillac Mt. (1,532 ft/467 m high). The peaks were named Monts Deserts, meaning "wilderness mountains," by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain Champlain, Samuel de , 1567–1635, French explorer, the chief founder of New France.
After serving in France under Henry of Navarre (King Henry IV) in the religious wars, Champlain was given command of a Spanish fleet sailing to the West Indies, Mexico, ..... Click the link for more information. , who landed on the island in 1604. The first French Jesuit mission and colony in America was established there in 1613; the first permanent English settlement began in 1762. The island developed as a fishing and lumbering center, and by the end of the 19th cent. it had become a famous resort area. A forest fire in 1947 damaged much of the eastern half of the island. The main towns are Bar Harbor, whose downtown and coastline homes were spared by the fire; Southwest Harbor, which manufactures yachts; Northeast Harbor; and Bass Harbor, a fishing community. The major part of the island is in Acadia National Park Acadia National Park, 48,419 acres (19,603 hectares), SE Maine, on the Atlantic coast; est. 1919. The park occupies a major portion of Mount Desert Island, Isle au Haut and several smaller islands, and the southern tip of Schoodic Peninsula. ..... Click the link for more information. . Mount Desert Island an island off the coast of Maine: lakes and granite peaks. Area: 279 sq km (108 sq. miles) Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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